Record keeping apparatus



1955' s. H. BRANDON 3,221,751

RECORD KEEPING APPARATUS Filed July 10, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 26 SKEAVIHGTON |-|.Br2AuDo- AT TOR/V5 VS Dec. 7, 1965 s. H. BRANDON RECORD KEEPING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Filed July 10, 1963 INVENTOR. Q K EAk/INGTOH H. BRANDON ATTO/QNES S United States Patent 3,221,751 RECORD KEEPING APPARATUS Skeavington H. Brandon, P.0. Box 457, Harrison, Ark.

Filed July 10, 1963, Ser. No. 294,069

2 Claims. (Cl. 129-34) This invention relates to record keeping folders or binders and more particularly to such devices adapted to conveniently and flexibly fasten and store paper records of various sizes and permit easy reference thereto and removal thereof.

Binders or folders for filing paper records are commonly used but are restricted to a single record size necessitating a separate folder or binder for each size paper filed. This creates filing and storage problems as well as difliculty in retrieval. The problems are compounded when several records of various sizes must be simultaneously referred to, such as during bookkeeping transactions.

The principal objects of the present invention are: to provide a filing folder having great flexibility in receiving and storing paper documents of various sizes and permitting easy reference thereto; to provide such a filing device having binding sheets removably secured to bound backing sheets, the binding sheets having great flexibility in securing documents thereto; to provide such a device wherein groups of documents may be easily reclassified or removed either singly or in combination without disturbing adjacent mounted records; to provide such a device which is conveniently expanded or reduced in capacity as desired; and to provide such apparatus which is inexpensive in construction and well suited for its intended purpose.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a folder embodying this invention with the leaves or backing sheets partially opened showing various size records therebetween.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the folder of FIG. 1 with a leaf or backing sheet fully opened for inspecting documents thereon.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through the opened folder on an enlarged scale particularly showing details of construction thereof.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the folder with portions broken away and particularly illustrating a binder sheet in position for mounting on a backing sheet.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary exploded view on an enlarged scale particularly illustrating a winged paper fastener in position for mounting on a binding sheet.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through the folder on an enlarged scale illustrating fastener structure for clasping an outside corner of a binding sheet to a backing sheet.

Referring to the drawings in more detail:

The reference numeral 1 generally indicates a record filling folder embodying this invention. The folder 1 broadly has a plurality of leaves or backing sheets 2, 3 and 4, and binding sheets 5, 6, 7, and 8 removably secured to the backing sheets. The binding sheets have securing means, described hereinafter, for conveniently fastening and storing paper records of various sizes thereto such as cancelled checks 9, deposit slips 10, bank statements 11, and credit card receipts 12, while permitting convenient reference thereto with easy addition and removal thereof.

The backing sheets 2, 3 and 4 are comprised of planar cores 13 preferably of relatively stiff material such as 3,221,751 Patented Dec. 7, 1965 plastic resin impregnated fibreboard with a flexible cover layer 14 thereover at least on the inwardly facing surfaces 15 of the outer backing sheets 2 and 4 and both sides 16 and 17 of the inner back-ing sheet 3. In the illustrated example, however, the cover layer 14 is in the form of an integral sheet which also extends over the outer surfaces 18 and 19 respectively of the outer backing sheets 2 and 4. The cover layer 14 is adhesively secured only at a wide border or peripheral portion 14 of the backing sheets leaving an unsecured central portion 15 for a reason discussed below. In the illustrated example, the cover layer 14 extends inwardly past the inner edges 20, 21 and 22 respectively of the backing sheets 2, 3 and 4 forming strips or joints 23, 24 and .25 binding the backing sheets together. The joints 23, 24 and 25 allow relative rotation for opening the backing sheets 2, 3 and 4 in the manner of a book while permitting substantial spacing therebetween when the backing sheets are in overlying condition. The portions of the cover layer 14 forming the joints 23, 24 and 25 are adhesively secured together and form an intersection at 26 approximately equidistant from the backing sheet inner edges 20, 21 and 22. A suitable flexible reinforcing strip 27 is adhesively secured along the joints 23 and 25 and is folded and secured within the folder at opposite ends 28 and 29 thereof to minimize abrasion at these points.

The cover layer 14 has an elongated slot 32 therein on each of the inwardly facing surfaces 15 and the side surfaces 16 and 17. The slots 32 extend parallel and adjacent to the respective inner edges 20, 21 and 22 but spaced from the adhesive at the border 14'. Female pressure clasp openings 33 and 34 are located on each of the backing sheets 2, 3 and 4 adjacent outer corners 35 and 36 thereof. Suitable openings 37 through the cover layer 14 are aligned with the clasp openings 33 and 34 exposing same.

The binding sheets 5 to 8 inclusive each have a front face 38, an inner longitudinal edge 39, a back face 40, and an outer longitudinal edge 41. The back face 40 has a relatively stiff elongated flap member 42 with an inner portion 43 adhesively secured thereto adjacent and parallel to the binding sheet inner edge 39. The flap member 42 includes portion 44 hinged to the inner portion 43 but detached from the back face 40. The flap outer portion 44 extends roughly toward, or in the direction of, the binding sheet outer edge 21. In mounting the binding sheet onto the backing sheet, the outer portion 44 is received through the respective cover layer slot 32 into the central portion 15' which holds the binding sheet against the respective backing sheet. The binding sheets each have a pair of male pressure clasp members 45 projecting from the back face 40 and positioned to be received in the backing sheet female clasp openings 33 in the manner of a snap fastener when the flap outer portion 44 is fully received in the slot 32 for locking the respective backing and binding sheets together.

The paper record securing means on the respective binding sheets comprises a plurality of female pressure clasp openings 46 distributed over the binding sheets in generally equally spaced apart pairs. A plurality of metal paper fasteners 47, which may be various sizes, have relatively stiff elongated bodies 48 and opposite elongated bendable metal prongs or wings 49 and 50 upwardly extending from the body for insertion through paper documents to be secured, FIG. 5. The fastener body 48 is slightly modified from known fasteners in that it has a pair of downwardly projecting male pressure clasp members 51 and 52 spaced apart the proper distance for reception in a selected pair of binding sheet pressure clasp openings 46 for securing the fastener to the binding sheet. A conventional fastener lock member 53 is provided for each of the fasteners 47 for clamping the wings 49 and 50 3 into locked position after insertion through the paper records as best illustrated in FIG. 2.

It is to be further understood while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, they are not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of part herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A folder comprising a plurality of backing sheets with inner edges, means flexibly binding said inner edges together in spaced apart relation for opening in the manner of a book, said backing sheets having an elongate slot adjacent the respective inner edges, at least one binding sheet for each of said backing sheets, means on the binding sheet extending into said slots for removably securing said binding sheets to said backing sheets, said binding sheets respectively having removable securing means thereon for fastening paper records thereto whereby said folder permits convenient classification of and reference to said records, said removable securing means on said binding sheets comprising a plurality of female pressure clasp openings distributed over said binding sheets in equally spaced apart pairs and a plurality of paper fasteners, said fasteners each having a relatively stiff elongated body and opposite elongated bendable wings extending from said body for insertion through papers to be secured, said fastener body having a pair of downwardly projecting male pressure clasp members spaced apart for reception in a selected pair of said binding sheet pressure clasp Openings for removably securing said respective fasteners to said binding sheet.

2. A folder comprising a plurality of sheets with inner edges, means flexibly securing said inner edges together for opening in the manner of a book, certain of said sheets being binding sheets, said binding sheets respectively having securing means thereon for detachably fastening a plurality of paper records thereto whereby said folder permits convenient classification of and reference to said records, said paper record securing means on said binding sheets comprising a plurality of pairs of female pressure clasp openings distributed over said binding sheets and a plurality of paper fasteners, said clasp openings of one pair having the same spacing as those of other pairs with certain of said pairs being adjacent an edge and other pairs adjacent other edges of the respective sheet, said fasteners each being of metal and having a relatively stiff elongated body with opposite ends and elongated bendable metal wings extending from said ends of the body for insertion through papers to be secured, an elongate metal lock member for each fastener body and having spaced openings through which the metal wings of the respective fastener body extend, said lock members engaging said records and cooperating with said fastener bodies to clamp the paper records therebetween in response to bending of the wings over said lock members, said fastener body having a pair of downwardly projecting male pressure clasp members spaced apart for reception in a selected pair of said binding sheet pressure clasp openings for removably securing said respective fasteners to said binding sheet with the repective paper records overlying said sheet.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 630,717 8/1899 King 129-1 687,437 11/ 1901 Reynolds 129-1 1,070,450 8/ 1913 Griesinger 1291 1,126,138 1/1915 Vliet 129--1 1,603,538 10/1926 Halfer 1291 1,689,528 10/ 1928 Kjellerup 12920 1,709,450 4/1929 White 281-16 X 2,113,099 4/1938 Sloan 28l-17 FOREIGN PATENTS 432,493 8/ 1926 Germany.

4,276 1911 Great Britain. 763,729 12/1956 Great Britain.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

JEROME SCHNALL, ROBERT E. PULFREY,

Examiners. 

1. A FOLDER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF BACKING SHEETS WITH INNER EDGES, MEANS FLEXIBLY BINDING SAID INNER EDGES TOGETHER IN SPACED APART RELATION FOR OPENING IN THE MANNER OF A BOOK, SAID BACKING SHEETS HAVING AN ELONGATE SLOT ADJACENT THE RESPECTIVE INNER EDGES, AT LEAST ONE BINDING SHEET FOR EACH OF SAID BACKING SHEETS, MEANS ON THE BINDING SHEET EXTENDING INTO SAID SLOTS FOR REMOVABLY SECURING SAID BINDING SHEETS TO SAID BACKING SHEETS, SAID BINDING SHEETS RESPECTIVELY HAVING REMOVABLE SECURING MEANS THEREON FOR FASTENING PAPER RECORDS THERETO WHEREBY SAID FOLDER PERMITS CONVENIENT CLASSIFICATION OF AND REFERENCE TO SAID RECORDS, SAID REMOVABLE SECURING MEANS ON SAID BINDING SHEETS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF FEMALE PRESSURE CLASP OPENINGS DISTRIBUTED OVER SAID BINDING SHEETS IN EQUALLY SPACED APART PAIRS AND A PLURALITY OF PAPER FASTENERS, SAID FASTENERS EACH HAVING A RELATIVELY STIFF ELONGATED BODY AND OPPOSITE ELONGATED BENDABLE WINGS EXTENDING FROM SAID BODY FOR INSERTION THROUGH PAPERS TO BE SECURED, SAID FASTENER BODY HAVING A PAIR OF DOWNWARDLY PROJECTING MALE PRESSURE CLASP MEMBERS SPACED APART FOR RECEPTION IN A SELECTED PAIR OF SAID BINDING SHEET PRESSURE CLASP OPENINGS FOR REMOVABLY SECURING SAID RESPECTIVE FASTENERS TO SAID BINDING SHEET. 